Manufacturers Urge Wolf Administration to Boost Funding for Pennsylvania’s Industrial Resource Centers

On April 30th, DVIRC’s President and CEO, Barry Miller, Executive Vice President, Tony Girifalco, and several owners of manufacturing companies in the Philadelphia region journeyed to Harrisburg for “Hill Day,” an annual visit to the State Capitol to seek additional state budget dollars for Pennsylvania’s Industrial Resource Centers (IRC). Pennsylvania has seven centers, including DVIRC, which promote, support and strengthen manufacturing in the state.

The day included a round table meeting between manufacturers and Pennsylvania legislators, during which manufacturers from throughout the state shared their experiences with the IRCs.

One manufacturer in attendance included Greg Selke, DVIRC Board Member, and CEO of ONExia, an industrial distributor, custom machine builder, and custom machine integrator based in Exton, PA. Selke demonstrated a collaborative robot or “cobot,” a robot designed towork in a shared workspace with humans and provided his perspective of manufacturers’ needs and how they are embracing the use of robots in their facilities.

The goal of this effort was to impress upon both the Governor and legislators the importance of accelerating Industry 4.0, also referred to as Advanced Manufacturing Technology, for Pennsylvania’s manufacturers, and that to do so the IRCs were seeking additional funding.